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Published: March 13th 2018
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Grand Cloister
Certosa di San Martino This morning we traveled with Francesco to visit the Certosa di San Martino ("Charterhouse of St. Martin"), a former monastery complex turned into a museum. Along with the Castel Sant'Elmo that stands beside it, this is the most visible landmark of the city, perched atop the Vomero hill that commands a panoramic view over the Gulf of Naples below.
We and a group of friends (Lucy Tullo, Danielle and Larry Cobb) had made an attempt to visit this monastery and museum back in 2016, but it happened to be closed that particular day.
Built as a Carthusian monastery, it was finished and inaugurated in 1368, dedicated to St. Martin of Tours. During the first half of the 16th-century it was expanded. Later, in 1623, it was further expanded and became essentially the structure seen today. In the early 19th-century, while under French rule, the monastery was closed and abandoned by the religious order.
Today, the buildings house a museum with a display of Spanish and Bourbon era artifacts, as well as displays of the
presepe—Nativity scenes—considered to be among the finest in the world. When we arrived at around 10:30 AM, the entrance was mobbed with school-age children
Church
Certosa di San Martino on a field trip, but they didn't slow us down much as we strolled around the various rooms and exhibits throughout this cavernous building.
The museum consists of 70 rooms, where exhibits from different periods of the history of the city of Naples are displayed.
Our first stop was the ornate, Baroque-style church, which is decorated profusely with gold, precious stones and other ornaments. A single central nave leads to the raised altar and the wooden choir, and the vaulted ceilings are totally covered with beautiful frescoes.
Not far from the church, and the smaller of the two cloisters, is the refectory, where the monks gathered for communal meals. The number of monks who resided in the monastery varied over the years, with as few as 13 and as many as 86 shortly before it was disbanded.
The Grand Cloister was very impressive, as were the displays of the
presepe—nativity scenes—considered to be among the finest in the world. In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche, or in Italian
presepe) is the special exhibition of art objects representing the birth of Jesus. One of the scenes we viewed
Grand Cloister
Certosa di San Martino is composed of 162 people, 80 animals, 28 angels and about 450 miniature objects, including the smallest crib in the world, made inside an egg shell!
We made a brief tour of the interesting naval museum, with full-scale and model boats on display, and then several rooms with paintings and other artifacts. The museum's garden area has a fine terrace, with panoramic views over the city and the Gulf of Napoli; however, clouds and rain showers had moved into the area by this time, so the visibility was pretty poor.
Francesco met us at noon, and we persuaded him to have lunch with us at a place of his choosing. So we departed Napoli, heading back to Sorrento, until we reached the Ritrovo degli Amici restaurant in the little village of Seiano, just a few miles from home. The place looked familiar when we pulled in, with the village church standing just in back of the restaurant, and it turned out we all had shared a fabulous meal here in 2016--with the breaded and deep-fried zucchini flowers still fresh in our memories!
After we walked into the restaurant, Dee immediately recognized the waiter from our last visit!
Bruschetta
Ritrovo degli Amici restaurant, Seiano. Soon after being seated, Francesco proceeded to order a variety of dishes that we could all share, from bruschetta and salmon, to octopus and anchovies, with a platter of breaded and deep-fried finger food (eggplant, mozzarella, artichokes, and other croquettes). Everything was delicious, and Dee even raved about the octopus and anchovies!
Sadly, tomorrow is our last day in Sorrento, as we fly to Vienna on Wednesday afternoon. Francesco invited us over to his house for lunch tomorrow, so we'll be able to say our good-byes to his wife and family before we depart.
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Jacque Lecoq
non-member comment
Glad to see you had such a great tour guide. You will need to return the favor when Francesco and his family come to Daytona. Cool pics again and such great history. Mitch you should have your Blogs published as a tour guide for many to experience your trek(s) over the years.